The new cultivar is the product of chance discovery. The new variety originated as a naturally occurring single branch mutation of the unpatented Dracaena fragrans ‘Surprise’. Typically, plants of Dracaena fragrans are not branching, however, with pinching, or harvesting of cuttings, branches are produced. The new variety was discovered as a branch mutation occurring in a block of harvested motherstock plants.
The new variety was discovered by the inventor, Ruud A. M. Scheffers, a citizen of the Netherlands, in August of 2002 in a commercial greenhouse belonging to the inventor in Honselersdijk, The Netherlands. After identifying the new variety as a potentially interesting selection, the inventor continued confidential testing and propagation of ‘2004031C’, assessing stability of the unique characteristics of this variety.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar ‘2004031C’ was first performed at the commercial greenhouse of the inventor in Honselersdijk, The Netherlands by vegetative cuttings in August of 2002. Access to all plants was restricted, as plants were kept in a locked greenhouse not open to the public. Through subsequent propagation by vegetative cuttings, multiple generations have been reproduced, which have shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type. At the time of filing this application, no plant material of the new variety has been made commercially available.